Gravitational Pull
by AmberxSun
Summary: "He wasn't supposed to feel this way; he wasn't supposed to look twice at her. But it was like a gravitational pull, and the next thing he knew he was falling head first in love. "


The humidity thickened the air, causing the teen to cough heavily. 16-year-old Dipper trekked deep into a nearby forest. Perspiration clotted against his forehead and trickled down his temple, dampening his already sweaty face.

_"If only I had brung a water bottle with me" _He tried to swallow but his throat tightened. Letting out a whimper of pain, he begrudgingly pushed forward, ignoring the pain that was building up on his right knee.

Dipper frowned disapprovingly at the paper in his hand. The paper read; "If you want to know more about Gravity Falls; come alone to the entrance of Old Wood's forest", with the word 'alone' bolded for emphasis.

"Who would even write this..?" He wondered aloud, swiping low branches and trudging slowly until a low rumbling erupted from his stomach. Dipper sighed as he pushed back a lock of his sweat stained hair.

_I might as well admit to myself that I'm lost. _He sunk to the floor in a clearing, finally letting himself rest.

This was his third summer back in Gravity Falls, Oregon. Each year back in the sleepy town promised new adventures, drawing in the curious twins.

At the end of every exciting day, Dipper felt as if he had solved everything. But then something new would pop up, leading to another wild goose chase.  
But this was it; he had finally found something that would lead him to the end of the trail. Atleast he thought it would. It was only midmorning when he found the note; Dipper was too antsy to even tell his sister, he just grabbed a apple for his breakfast and declared to Stan that he was 'going out with a couple of friends' before running out in a hurry. He arrived early, and decided to look through the forest to kill time. After a while he realized he did not recognize the path. Dipper tried to find his way back, but without a compass, a map, or any other navigational tool, he could not find the exit of the forest.

His eyes scanned the paper again, before shoving it back into his pockets, not caring if it creased. If only Mabel were here to bring light of the situation.

_Mabel._ Dipper felt a pang of guilt as remembered how he ditched her earlier that day. Even if he was supposed to go alone, he should have at least let Mabel know he was heading out.

His sister had not matured mentally over the years. Bubbly, boisterous, and boy-crazy, she would still bother Dipper whenever she got the chance. Although their sibling rivalry had run thin over the years, Mabel still managed to get on his last nerves. Nonetheless, Dipper was thankful that he had his sister, especially once high school started. She was the only one who stood up for him; it was not that Dipper was ugly—for he was fairly handsome; but Dipper was a mystery-seeking bookworm, and that did not mix well with his social life.

Dipper found himself getting so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the sound of somebody walking into the clearing.

"Oh! There you are!" He looked up surprised, and immediately scowled. He could recognize that voice from anywhere. Dipper stood up and stared at the slim figure from across the clearing

"What do you want, Pacifica?"

She let out a smile giggle, and took a step towards him "What's with that attitude, Dipper? Aren't you happy to see me?"

"No, why would I be?" Dipper crossed his arms, not trusting Pacifica for a minute. And why should he? This was the girl who constantly taunted him and his sister since they first visited Gravity Falls.

"Aww, c'mon, don't be so uptight" She smiled teasingly, ruffling his hair as if he were a child.

Dipper recoiled, restraining himself from running. His stomach tightened, making him feel as if he were prey, or as if he was her target. Dipper was now taller than Pacifica; he was stronger and smarter than her. So why does he always feel inferior, like she's controlling him?

He shook his head to clear his mind and stared down at her.

"Are you trying to trick me or something? Because this isn't funny at all."  
"What? Of course not"

She pouted her lips and batted her eyelashes in a manner that looked… cute? Innocent? He shook his head. "Innocent" and "Pacifica" are two words that do not mix. Something was definitely up, and he was going to get to the bottom of this.

"Okay, what's your deal, Pacifica? If you're not trying to prank me, or hurt my sister, what is it?"

She smiled tauntingly, causing Dipper's heart to speed up. He wasn't supposed to feel this way; he wasn't supposed to look twice at her. But it was like a gravitational pull, and the next thing he knew he was developing feelings for her. He never told his sister, of course; he wasn't sure how she would respond. Besides, Dipper told himself—there was no way he could actually fall in love with Pacifica Northwest. This was the same girl who tried to hurt Dipper and Mabel any chance she got, so he figured that his crush would fall short over time. But then she started growing; Pacifica filled out, and although he pretended not to notice her chest, he was only human.

And now she was standing right before his eyes.

But Dipper wasn't a fool. He knew that he could never actually trust her, let alone have a real relationship with her. She was dangerous, and would probably stomp on his heart if he ever did reveal his feelings towards her.

So he masked his emotions and did his best to appear impassive.

"Alright Pacifica, I know you wrote this note to prank me, and I understand; you're a cold and emotionless girl, and you get kicks out of watching people stumble. But you didn't have to trick me like this. I didn't even do anything to you this time."

He had expected Pacifica to sneer angrily, or laugh at the insult like the heartless girl she was. But she didn't; There was a look of pain that appeared on her face for a second before she gave a shaky grin.

_What was that? Since when has Pacifica cared when I insulted her? _

Dipper started up again, but this time with a gentler tone. "Uh… what I mean is, why did you bring me here?"

__"I was just trying to get…." Pacifica, who is usually loud and obnoxious, mumbled the last part shyly.

"What was that?" Dipper looked at her curiously. Was she trying to get revenge, or…?

"I said, I was trying…" Again, she trailed off, squirming uncomfortably. Seeing Pacifica nervous was new to Dipper. She was usually oozing of confidence, but for some reason she seemed unable to look at Dipper in the eyes.

"Trying to…?" He motioned for her to continue, and she sighed

"I was trying to get closer to you" Her cheeks flushed and she stared down at the ground. He was at loss at words at first, and there was a second of complete silence before she started up again.

"Look, it's not like I like you or anything—I mean, I like you, but um… you're such a dork so it wouldn't even matter anyways, since you're always chasing after other girls and it's not like you have a crush on me considering the fact that you're with your dork of a sister- how are you two even related? I mean, she's so weird and you're not. Well, you are weird, but not as weird as her, and it's just that…" Pacifica babbled on, losing her cool for once as she denied her completely obvious feelings for Dipper.

He took a pause before it sank in. She _liked_ him. Perhaps she had been harboring these feelings ever since they met. Was that the reason she hated Mabel? Because Mabel was the only person Dipper hung out with?

He felt something similar to being punched in the gut as he realized that Pacifica_ did_ have a reason for singling out Mabel; she was jealous of Mabel, and tried to do her best to make his sister feel bad because maybe Pacifica felt she was hogging Dipper.

He turned his attention back to her, and she was still going on

"…And if it weren't for the fact that you didn't wear the same clothes every day, I mean come on, we live in, like, a first-world country, the least you could do is act like it—"  
He put his hand on her shoulder, and she jumped

"So basically what you're saying is: You love me?"

Her face turned another shade of red. "W-Well, I wouldn't say 'love', exactly, but I can't say you aren't half… bad…." She trailed off when she saw he was staring intently into her eyes.

It was like the whole world had been flipped upside down, like he was looking at life through another perspective. She actually shared his feelings. He didn't have to hide it anymore, and the thought of that made his shoulders slump in relief. Now the real question was, should he admit it?

"Uhh…are you still there?"

Her voice snapped him back into reality, and Dipper realized that he had left her hanging. His cheeks flushed when he realized he had to tell her his feelings.

He rubbed his arms nervously, and began to speak cautiously. "Well, to be honest, I don't think you're all that bad either…"

She brightened visibly, a curt smile forming on her lips.  
"So wait, you like me too?"  
" 'Like' is a strong word to use, I prefer to say something similar to "admire" or—"  
"Don't deny it, you love me!" She burst into peals of laughter when he turned even redder

"Well, you're wording it wrong, I don't lo—"  
"Admit it, loverboy, you have eyes for me!" She crossed her arms and looked at him teasingly.

"But I didn't even…. Alright, fine, I like you—"

"Like?"

"Okay, I LOVE you. Happy?"

She started laughing again and Dipper stood, frazzled over the last event. "Love" was a strong word, after all, and he was slightly embarrassed that she had coaxed the words so easily out of him.

"Alright, are you done yet?" Dipper asked, exasperated.

"Mmhmm" She nodded, obviously trying to suppress giggle. His heart sped up again when he realized that this was her real laugh. Usually he heard her sarcastic, haughty laugh, but this time it was genuine. Before Dipper realized it, he was cupping Pacifica's face with his hands. All forms of merriment was wiped from her face as she looked up at him with a surprised expression on her face.

"You know, you're really cute when you laugh" He said softly, and stroked her chin.  
She looked slightly flustered at first, but then grinned, and kissed him.


End file.
